Release in Review: Seaside Summer

 

The Clear and Simple Stamps Collection 4 release in review continues today with projects featuring the Seaside Summer grouping.  I made a beach themed card along with a special beach keepsake for today's review.

First up is the card. I used one of the topper pieces from the Banner die set as a template for creating a cloud-filled sky on a white panel.  I have a stepped out tutorial at the very end of this post in case you're interested in more detail (you can also find it here on Paper Craft Planet).

I built a beachy scene on the sponged panel by adding some torn kraft cardstock, inked along the edges with a cream ink pad, as sand and some torn blue cardstock and vellum to represent wave-topped water.  I stamped the beach ball and pail image from the Beach Bum set on white cardstock, colored it with Copic markers, and cut it out, then attached it to the scene with foam tape.  The set's "have fun" sentiment is stamped underneath the image in black ink.  I added a blue strip cut with one of the Favor Flag dies at the top of the card and accented it with an orange button tied with matching baker's twine.

To go with the card, I created a little beach memory bottle, seen in the photo at the top of this post.  This is a great project to do with your kids to bring home a little bit of the beach with you.  I simply filled a glass bottle with some sand and a few shells, then slowly added water. The water will look cloudy at first until the sand settles.  A little tag, stamped with the sun image from the Summer Fun set and the "sun.  fun.  sand" sentiment from the Beach Bum set finishes it off.   There's room on the back of the tag to write the date and location of your trip. What a fun way to record a memory!

Be sure to check out what the rest of the CSS team has created using the Seaside Summer stamp sets.  Here's where to find them:
Kim Duran
Tracy Schultz
Laurie Willison
Lori Tecler--you're here
Suzanne Dahlberg (Collection 4 guest)
CSS blog

And, as promised, here's more detail on creating that sponged cloud sky.  I used the scallop edged die from the Banner die set, but you can use pretty much anything with a scalloped edge to make a template for sponging clouds, like a scalloped circle die or a even a strip of scalloped shapes you cut yourself.

To get started, place your template on your white cardstock panel. After you’ve inked up your sponge or ink applicator tool with some blue ink, apply ink to the paper, starting at the edge of the cloud template and moving outward.

Once you’ve inked along the entire edge of your template, reposition it on the paper in a new spot, offsetting it from the first placement to add interest and make your cloudy sky look random instead of like a repeating pattern.

Repeat the inking process again, then shift the template again.

Continue with this until you’ve filled your entire cardstock panel. Once the panel’s covered with a cloud-filled pattern, you’re ready to assemble the rest of the card.

Materials Used:
Summer Fun and Beach Bum stamp sets, Say Yellow to All Your Fans, Creamsicle Cardigan, A Blanc Check, and Perfect Little Black Dress inks, Simply Blue-tiful, Kraft Like a Rockstar, and A Blanc Check cardstock, Copic markers (B0000, B00, B01, B02, B04, B05, R12, R14, R17, R27, Y11, Y13, Y15, Y18, Y35, Y38, YR12, YR15, YR16, YR18), Banners, Favor Flags, and Tags 1 dies; Divine Twine orange baker's twine (Clear and Simple Stamps); white vellum (The Paper Company); Tumbled Glass distress ink (Ranger); foam tape